Introduction to NaturalReader

Free Text-to-Speech: NaturalReader

This free program is very basic and easy to use: it reads text out loud to you. If you have tried Kurzweil and don't like it, or don't need all of its features, you should definitely look at NaturalReader.

NaturalReader can be downloaded for free (for Windows 10 and MacOS computers) or used online. There's also a free extension for the Chrome browser.

NaturalReader Online and NaturalReader for Windows and MacOS are almost exactly the same. On the next few pages I'll show you how to use NaturalReader. Here's how to get the free version.

NaturalReader for Windows and MacOS

  1. Go to the NaturalReader website Links to an external site. and click the blue Free Download button to get the program.
  2. Double-click on the icon to launch the program.
  3. Click the Plus icon to upload a file (or copy and paste text into the central box).
  4. Click the blue arrow icon (Play) to listen to the text, and to pause it if desired.

Use NaturalReader Online

  1. Go to the NaturalReader Online website Links to an external site. in (almost) any browser - the last time I checked, it did not work in Apple's Safari.
  2. Click the Plus icon to upload a file (or copy and paste text into the central box).
  3. Click the blue arrow icon (Play) to listen to the text, and to pause it if desired.

Chrome Browser Extension

To add the extension, go to the Chrome Web Store and search on “Natural Reader Text to Speech Links to an external site..” Click “Add to Chrome” for the top listing (“Natural Reader Text to Speech”).

At the end of this module you can watch a demo of NaturalReader's browser extension alongside Read the Web from Kurzweil.